News Roads & Paving
Road work on major Montreal artery taking longer than expected

MONTREAL — Three months after City of Montreal engineers closed down part of Notre-Dame Street East for emergency repairs, the major artery remains at one lane.

The lane was closed in July when city workers discovered the cover to the underground sewer entrance was cracked, leaving the area unsafe for drivers. The large manhole covers nearly 4.5 square metres, making the hole wide enough to swallow a small car.

City staff told Global News the cover was being custom made out of cast iron, and will take 20 weeks from the time of order to complete. With parts backordered up to 18 months in some areas, that waiting period is one many in the industry can relate to. In the meantime, the city estimates it will be January before the repair can be completed.